A Demon's Last Good Deed
by wimseyfive87
Summary: Whatever happens to Cole's father's soul at the end of "Exit Strategy"? Cole calls on an unlikely friend to help him bring his father home.


_This is my first "Charmed" fic under this name. I wrote a ton of them many moons ago. This one is just my attempt to plug a plot hole from the end of season three. The writers never really explained how or why the Source had Cole's father's soul. In fact, we only hear about it the one time and that was it. Also, we never see how Cole takes it back to heaven. It's not like he can call up Leo and beg a favor of him! Anyway, hears my foray back into "Charmed"land. As usual, I don't own the rights, characters, etc. Enjoy!_

The moon cut through the mist in the forest, giving the area an unnatural bright glow. The mist seemed to surround the forest, envelop it in it's own cocoon. The usual sounds of the night were muted and toneless. The noise of the city was as distant as a foreign country. It was the perfect place for a quiet rendezvous or a deadly ambush.

Cole Turner slouched against a tree, wearing his best designer suit. He had been waiting for hours, but it didn't matter. What else did have to look forward to? An eternity in the underworld as the Source's top henchman. He would play his role as one of the most evil demons. He had tried to play the role of lover and good man, but one good witch had firmly cut him out. He just wasn't _good_ enough to win the woman he loved. So he would be evil, a role he had honed to perfection over the decades.

Tonight would be his last good deed. If the Source found out and killed him – it would be worth the betrayal. The agony of the last few days was enough to create his own personal hell. Nothing the Source could do to him could drag him any lower. Whatever the consequences, he would endure it to repay the only many who had seen the good in him and not lost faith in it.

Out of the corner of his eye, a patch of bright mist began to pulse with an even stronger light. It wavered and swirled, forming the shape of a person. It finally materialized into a tall, beautiful woman with long auburn curls. The mist and light settled around her, forming a kind of dress that hugged every curve and revealed enough leg to conquer any man. Cole grinned. Katarina still knew how to make an entrance.

"I knew you couldn't resist my invitation," he said.

"Cute. Embedding a summons into the soul of a dead man," Katarina said, gliding effortlessly closer to him.

"An old spell I picked up from a mad old wizard. How else was I supposed to get the attention of an Angel of Mercy?"

"You could have asked for mercy."

"You wouldn't have come even if I bothered to try it."

"Belthazar, what do you want?"

"Katarina, always so direct. That's what I love about you." he said, moving closer to her.

"I'm still waiting," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Cole couldn't resist. He reached over to brush the hair off of one bare shoulder.

"I remember a time when you couldn't wait to be with me."

"That was a long time ago."

"Not for me," he said, his eyes unashamedly running up and down her body. He didn't miss the blush that grew under her skin.

"Being with you had felt like one long dream. It felt like heaven. I couldn't wait to go to sleep again." He walked around her slowly, eying every curve. They had caused quite the scandal with their affair. They had met in secret dells, caves and waterfalls. They had loved each other with equal abandon. Both seemed to be escaping their destinies – if only for a few hours. They had ended it mutually – it was just too much work to stop the gossip mongers on both sides. It wasn't worth a war between heaven and hell to stay together.

"This is not another dream. What do you want, Cole?"

Hearing his human name seemed to bring Cole back to his sense – which Katarina had known would work. She knew the secrets of every man's heart but only came to them when they begged for help. She could be a cruel, yet infinitely kind angel.

"You know what happened?" he asked quietly. His mind had forgotten the last few days, but Katarina had brought it all back with a bang. Going undercover to stop the Brotherhood from talking over the world. Having his cover blown. Then betrayed and used by his old mentor. Tricked into killing an innocent witch – and ultimately losing Phoebe Halliwell's love forever. Finally, he had murdered his old mentor. He was sure she didn't have to read his heart to know what happened. The haunted look on his face would have explained it all.

"Yes, Cole, I'm so sorry-"

"I just need you to do something for me. Do this and I'll never summon you again."

"You can always ask for my help, Cole. I will come."

He looked at her. "You'd never come. My soul's too damned to be saved. A demon begging an angel for mercy? The boys would get a kick from that upstairs."

She laid a gently hand onto his arm. Sweet, good kindness radiated off of her. He wanted nothing more than to throw herself at her feet and beg for her sweet forgiveness. But he knew he didn't deserve it.

"Let me help you, Cole."

"The only way you can help me is to take him home."

He lifted a glowing crystal orb from his suit pocket. The orb was as bright as a star – as pure as a piece of heaven. Katarina stared at it and then Cole. She gingerly took the glass orb from his hands.

"Is it-"

"My father's soul? Yes. I finally got it away from the Source."  
"But how did you manage it? The Source always kept it as leverage to keep you evil. After your mother killed your father, the Source saw that his death alone wasn't enough to turn you completely evil. He needed something to bind you to his evil."

"I really don't know why he bothered," Cole said. "He should have seen that I have evil enough in me to fill the Grand Canyon."

"Cole-"

"Please, Katarina – Just take him home. He deserves it. He was the only person who really believed in me. I'd like to pay him back, if only this one time."

"You know there are others that believe in the good in you, Cole. There is Phoebe-"

"Please, just go, Katarina! Take him home and never let the Source near him again. I don't think I'd be able to handle it if he was taken again."

Cole turned his back on Katarina and began to walk deeper into the forest. Katarina watched him with a mixture of love and pity.

"You can always ask for mercy, Belthazar. Every being has the right to be saved."

"Not this one," he said. He half turned to her and then changed his mind. Nothing – no one could redeem him from this new hell. It was one of his own creation.

Katarina watched him shimmer into nothingness. She looked then at the orb in her hands.

"Don't worry. He'll soon find his own way home. Even the most evil of men have some good in them. Belthazar has more in him than he'll ever realize."

Looking to the heavens, she took a deep breath. The mist and light gathered around her, blotting her from sight. Soon it settled back into mist and light and the angel was gone into the night.


End file.
